Pool cue sticks are used for shooting pool and in related billiard games. A pool cue stick having two-piece construction typically has a coupling between the pool cue shaft and the handle portion that may be connected or disconnected by hand. Two-piece cue sticks may be transported in a pool cue portable container when disassembled. Pool cue cases for two-piece cues are generally cylindrical tubes, of various cross-sectional shapes, that are slightly longer than the shaft and handle of a disassembled pool cue stick. A pool cue portable container may have an insert, such as polyurethane foam insert, that substantially fills the interior of the portable container except for tapered bores in the insert adapted to receive disassembled cue sticks. Commercially available pool cue cases may have a handle, carrying strap, and/or one or more zippered pouches attached to the exterior of the pool cue portable container with straps. Zippered pouches may be used for carrying such essentials as chalk, spare tips spare ferrules, and similar game-related supplies and paraphernalia, for example.
When a pool player transports his cue sticks in a pool cue portable container to a tournament, he encounters at least two problems, as recognized by the present inventors. First, once the pool cue sticks are removed from the pool cue portable container and assembled, there is often no place to safely and securely place the pool cue sticks while not in actual use. A player may have different cues for different purposes. For example, he may have a break cue, a jump cue, and a shooting cue. Accordingly, a shooter may need a safe and secure place for two of his cues, even while shooting with one cue. At tournaments, it is common for wall racks for pool cue sticks to be inadequate for the crowd, and pool cue sticks can end up propped up against a wall or laid on the floor. Some pool cue sticks cost thousands of dollars, and such precarious temporary storage in crowded tournament rooms risks serious damage to the pool cue stick.
Second, there is no provision for storing the pool cue cases at many tournaments. As a result, the cases are often left on chairs, countertops, floors, tables, and other inconvenient places, adding annoyance to an already crowded room. The cases need to be kept in general proximity to the players for access to the contents thereof and for security. Players may move 50 feet or more between games and so may have to retrieve their cases after each game and carry their assembled cue sticks and their cases to the next game. This is cumbersome with current technology. In tournament play, shooters often have to wait a substantial amount of time between games. During this waiting time, the shooter wants to have a way to protect the cue sticks neatly out of the way while avoiding having to keep them in hand or having the cue sticks precariously laying about the tournament room.
Some attempts to partially solve each one of these problems have been made without great commercial success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,352 (expired) to Hoffman disclosed a container stand, which could be a pool stick portable container, with deployable support legs attached to the exterior of the portable container to support the portable container in a nearly upright position. The legs could be attached directly to the portable container or to a strap that could then be secured to the portable container. The legs and bracket were exposed on the outside of the portable container, creating a risk of damage to the legs and to other luggage. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,218 (expired), Hoffman further disclosed retaining means for holding the legs adjacent to the portable container when not in use supporting the portable container. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,332 (expired) to Ouelette disclosed a portable Pool Cue Holder with deployable legs internally stowable in the cylindrical holder. Ouelette's holder appears vertical with a tripod stand that provides a significant increase in the footprint of the device when in use. Ouelette's holder discloses a preference that the holder be small, having a preferred height of 5¼ inches and a cylinder diameter of 1⅝ inches, holding one pool cue while the pool cue is not in use.
The present inventors have identified and isolated the problems: what is lacking are apparatuses (together comprising a pool cue portable container system) which enable pool cues and pool cue cases to be kept both neatly out of the way (such as near a table in a waiting area) and readily at hand during tournament play. Another problem identified by the present inventors is for a pool cue portable container for two-piece pool cues to be used as an assembled pool cue stand with reduced risk of damage to the support legs and to adjacent luggage during transport. The present inventors also identified the need for a pool cue portable container that may act as a pool cue stand for a plurality of assembled pool cues, and that is big enough to be seen in a crowded room and that has a reduced foot print on the floor.
The present inventors have also identified that the problem of supporting a pool cue portable container is similar to the problem of supporting portable containers generally. For example, and without limitation, golf bags; luggage; musical instrument cases; sports equipment bags, such as those used for baseball, skiing, fencing, and lacrosse; bags generally; briefcases; and computer cases.
Accordingly, what is needed is a pool cue portable container system with supports that enable the pool cue portable container to be supported in a nearly upright position on a floor. A further need is that the supports are stowable for transport, if not within the portable container, then within a re-closable enclosure, such as a zippered pouch, removably attached to the exterior of the main portable container tube. A further need is that the supports can be releasably coupled to the portable container by being coupled to a re-closable enclosure releasably attached to the exterior of the main portable container tube. Another need is for supports to be coupled to an interior surface of a re-closable enclosure releasably attached to the exterior of the main portable container tube and for the floor-engaging ends of the supports to be deployable out of the re-closable enclosure. A further need is for the option to have the supports constantly coupled to the re-closable enclosure. A further need is for the supports to be extendable. Yet a further need is for the deployment of the legs to not increase the footprint of the pool cue portable container on the floor. Yet another need is for the pool cue portable container system to accommodate a plurality of assembled pool cues, so that an unused cue will normally be in the nearly upright pool cue portable container. Yet another need is for a re-closable enclosure having deployable supports. Yet another need is for the re-closable enclosure to be operable to be coupled to a pool cue portable container. Yet another need is for re-closable enclosures having deployable supports that are sized, shaped, and arranged to support various portable containers, including cases and bags. To meet the above-mentioned needs and to solve the above-mentioned problems, applicants present what follows.